With Jaron Pierre in transfer portal, Wichita State must replace entire starting lineup
Jaron Pierre Jr., the starting shooting guard for the Wichita State men’s basketball team last season, became the fourth scholarship player to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday evening.
While the decisions from Jaykwon Walton (Alabama), Kenny Pohto (undecided) and Shammah Scott (Akron) came not long after WSU fired head coach Isaac Brown, Pierre’s portal entry came more than a month later.
Pierre, a 6-foot-5 wing who started 22 times, averaged a career-high 10.6 points on 39% shooting this past season for the Shockers. He proved to be a streaky shooter, popping off for a season-high 28 points late in the season against Tulane, while also dramatically improving his defense during his one year in Wichita.
Because Pierre has already used his first-time free transfer to go from Southern Miss to WSU last spring, it’s possible, if not likely, the New Orleans native will have to sit out next season if he does end up transferring. Pierre has two years of eligibility remaining.
With Pierre’s potential departure from the program, it’s safe to say Wichita State coach Paul Mills will have a nearly complete makeover in his first year with the Shockers.
All five of WSU’s starters from this past season have either exhausted their eligibility (Craig Porter and James Rojas) or hit the transfer portal (Walton, Pohto, Pierre). Nine of WSU’s top 10 scorers from this past season are not currently on the roster, as Wichita native and guard Xavier Bell (4.0 points), sophomore forward Isaac Abidde (2.4 points), sophomore wing Jalen Ricks (1.8 points) and junior center Quincy Ballard (2.1 points) are the lone holdovers.
Mills now has six scholarships at his disposal in the 2023 recruiting class, which currently features commitments from transfer portal targets in UTSA center Jacob Germany and Miami wing Harlond Beverly.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
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